Cod with Chickpeas and Sherry

Name: Cod with Chickpeas and Sherry
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 fillets of cod, each about 1 inch thick, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total; Flour for dredging; Salt and black pepper; 2 medium Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices; 4 cups cooked or drained canned chickpeas; 3/4 cup sherry, preferably Amontillado; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

December 14, 2011

Sherry, garlic, and chickpeas, a decidedly Andalusian combination of flavors, is served by itself or as a side dish with almost any cut of meat, fish, or poultry. But I like it best with cod: the subtlety and tenderness of the fish are offset wonderfully by the big, almost meaty flavors of the scented chickpeas yet are not overwhelmed by them. If you have any advance inkling at all that you’re going to be tackling this recipe, try to cook dried chickpeas for it in advance (page 431). The best sherry to use here is Amontillado, which is slightly but not overpoweringly sweet; a ten-dollar bottle of Amontillado will suffice, and since you’re only going to use about a quarter of the bottle, there will be plenty left to chill and drink. Second choices would be slightly sweeter Oloroso or drier Fino.

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